Space Battle
When two opposing Fleets are orbiting the same System, either side can choose the "Fight" action to start a battle. After getting the chance to choose a Battle Tactic and re-arrange Flotillas in the Battle Screen, the battle will proceed to the Cinematic where players can enjoy seeing their enemies blown to bits or analyze how effective their strategy is. Once the battle has been called, neither side can move their fleets in the galaxy view, add or remove ships from the fleet, or assign an admiral. Battle Screen After the fight has been called, a battle screen appears, giving the player a few options to plan their strategy for the battle. This screen gives a comprehensive analysis of the enemy's fleet composition compared to your own, including the overall weapon and defense strengths, and the ratios of ballistic and laser weapon Modules. The option to "retreat" will also become available, which will cancel the battle but cost 60% of the Fleet's maximum HP. Any ships in the fleet with less than this value will be destroyed. Flotillas Once the battle has been called, players get the option to choose a tactic card and reorganize the Flotillas in their fleet. There are three total flotillas, a central one that must always be occupied, and two additional flotillas on the flanks that are unlocked by having a large enough fleet. Battle Tactics Each empire has a limited array of battle tactics available. At first, only 3 can be selected for the deck at the same time, but this number can increase up to 5. When combat is called, the player can choose a single Battle Tactic from their deck to instantly determine the range and positioning of their fleets, as well as providing a substantial bonus or other battle-changing stat. Battle Cinematic Players cannot affect the outcome of battles once they have begun, but can choose to watch them unfold to get an idea of how their strategy is playing out. This is where you may see how effective your tactic is for your current fleet. The paths that the flotillas take is dependent on the range set by cards for each flotilla. If one flotilla is set for close range and the opposing set for long, the fleet set for long range will try to retreat away towards a flank. Sometimes, however, the flotilla paths can seem difficult to predict. Consider the placement of your weapon modules: they only fire when the module can see the enemy. Modules that are mounted on top of the ship can always fire in any direction. Others may be limited to broadside attacks. Some ship's weapons operate at poor efficiency when heading directly for the enemy because of this. Scan View Switch to the scan view by hitting Spacebar. In this view, players can see the movement paths of ships on both sides, as well as their health, defense, and shield effectiveness. The blue circle in the center of the ship displays its current health, which turns red as it takes damage, and then fades to gray. The red and green bars on the side of the ship show the current effectiveness of shields and deflectors. As the ship takes enemy fire, these bars indicate how much damage is being mitigated (?) . Admirals Heroes can be assigned to serve as admirals on the fleet. Admirals have a custom ship that can be outfitted in the Hero screen. Admirals can give powerful bonuses during battle, based upon their skills and abilities. If the admiral's ship is destroyed in combat, it will automatically revive at the end of the battle, unless the fleet is destroyed. If the fleet is destroyed, the admiral becomes injured and is unable to be reassigned for a short time, unless healed with Dust.